Machine for forming metallic tooth-backings for artificial teeth.



E. E.WIGHTMAN.

MACHINE FOR FORMING METALLIC TOOTH BACKINGS FOR ARTIFICIAL TEETH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29. I916.

Patented J My 10, 1917.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR, w J BY ELME'FE. WIGHFMAN,

A TTORNEYSZ UNITEIE TATFS PATENT @FFIGE.

ELMER E. WIGI-ITMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR FORMING METALLIC TOOTH-BAGKINGS FOR ARTIFICIAL TEETH.

Application filed July 29, 1916.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER E. WIGHTMAN, a citizen of the United States,and a residentof the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in aMachine for Forming Metallic Tooth- Backings for Artificial Teeth; and Ido hereby declare that the following description of my said invention,taken in connection with the accompanying sheet of drawing, forms afull, clear, and exact specifica tion, which will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates generally to 'improvements in a dental machine andit consists, essentially, in the novel and peculiar combination of partsand details of construction, as hereinafter first fully set forth anddescribed and then pointed out in the claims.

The object of this invention is the production of an efiicient backingplate for dental tooth faces, and of a comparatively cheap andserviceable instrument for producing these plates, at a very low cost.

Manufacturers of dental supplies are now furnishing dentists with toothfacings having a groove in their backs for the attachment of the facingto the backing. They are also furnishing backings; but these backingsare very expensive and are not as efficient as is desirable, and toovercome these objections and draw backs, I produce the backing, and theimplement in which they may be produced, as shown in the drawingsalready referred to, in. which Figure 1 is a sideelevation of theimplement for producing the backing. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig.3 is a similar plan with the, crimping jaws of the implement moved intocrimping position. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section on line +atof Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a rear view of a porcelain tooth facing with mybacking in place. Fig. 6 is a plan of the backing detached. Fig. 7 is anedge view thereof, and Fig. 8 is an end view of this member. Fig. 9 is aperspective view of the strip from which the backing is formed, andillustrating the first Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1917.

Serial No. 112,024.

operation in forming this backing. Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of thejaws within which the backing is formed.

This backing C, is formed from a single strip or blank of sheet metal,usually gold, of rectangular contour, and of a width and length to coverthe entire back of the tooth facing A. On this plate C there is formed atubular ridge or projection 0, somewhat shorter than the length of theplate; and in the back of the plate C there is formed a narrow groove27, which groove communicates with the interior of the ridge 0. Thisridge is undercut at its inner terminal so as to engage an undercutshoulder in the groove of the tooth facing usually made in thesefacings, and thereby assist in the safe retention of the tooth facing bysaid backing. This tooth backing I form in a specially designedapparatus or instrument, which instrument comprises, in the preferredembodiment of my invention, an upright standard 10, having a base 11,adapted to be affixed to a dentists work bench. The upper end of thisstandard terminates in a, preferably rectangular, flat-topped,headblock-12. Laterally or transversely of the front, or short end 13 ofthis head-block, there is fastened an anvil 14, having its reartransverse edge 15 at right angles to its top face for some distance,andithcn beveled off 'as shown at 30, Fig. 10, which figure isconsiderably enlarged to more clearly illustrate this feature of thejaws 14 and 18.

In the forward edge of this anvil Is there is a slot 16, somewhatshorter than the length of a standard backing; and on the under face ofthis anvil there is Produced a depression 17, slightly deeper than thethickness of the backing, the aforesaid slot 16 being located mediallyof the said depression. This depression and slot are -designed toreceive a partly-formed backing and to securely hold the same while theundercutting of the ridge and the removal of the superfluous portionthereof is being performed, and thus prevent misshaping or deformationof the delicate backing while the filing operation is being performed.

On the head 12, relatively adjacent the anvil let, there is arranged amovable jaw 18, the forward transverse edge 19 of which is likewise atright angles to its top face for some distance, and then beveled off asindicated at 31,Fig. 10, similar to the edge 15 of the anvil 14. Themovable jaw 18 is guided and maintained in position upon the face of thehead 12, by an embracing yoke 20, fixed to the said head by suitablescrews 21 The forward end of this yoke 20 has a cut-out 21, whereby thefront end of the upper face of the movable aw 18 may be used as an anvilin conjunction with the anvil 1 1.

At the rear end of the movable jaw 18 is formed an upturned lip 22, therear face of which is engaged by the periphery of a cam 23, to move saidjaw forwardly. The forward face of this upturned lip 22 is engaged by anose 28, formed on an arm 2%, reaching forwardly from the cam 23,whereby, upon reverse rotation of said cam, the said movable jaw 18 willbe retracted. A handle, or other suitable means 25, is provided for thecam 23, wherewith the same may be oscillated.

The movable jaw 18, and the stationary jaw or anvil 14:, are soconstructed that when the movable jaw has been moved toward the anvil tothe limit of its movement, there remains between these two elements anarrow slit, as shown in Fig. 3, said slit being of a widthapproximating two thicknesses of the backing C, the object of which isnot to crowd the neck of the bulb on the backing C more than necessaryto bring the two walls of the neck into close contact.

In forming up my improved backing strips, the blank is first doubled upupon itself, as shown in Fig. 9. Then the bent strip is placed betweenthe jaws 15 and 19, with a very thin steel wire mandrel D, in place. Thecam 23 is now manipulated to advance the jaw 19 to squeeze the parts ofthe strip together behind the mandrel, and thus form the tubular ridge0. While thus held between the jaws the free ends of the strip arespread apart, and then these two parts or wings are hammered down with asuitable hammer, against the upper faces of the anvil 14 and the movablejaw 18. Now the said movable jaw is retracted, the formed backingremoved, and the mandrel withdrawn, when the backing, which in thiscondition has the ridge 0 extending its entire length, is placed intothe depression 17, where the undercutting 6 may be made by athree-cornered file, and the surplus portion of the ridge removed,thereby leaving a blank space 26 on the backing, as illustrated in Figs.6 and 7.

The forward portion of the head block 12 extends beyond the forwardmargin of the anvil 14 to afford on said head block a table or bench 29,upon which the formed up tooth backing C may be supported while theportion 0 which is to be removed and undercut may be operated upon,thereby securely holding the tooth backing in position in the groove 16and depression 17, and at the same time preventing the portion of thetooth backing which is finally to afford the blank space 26, from beingdeformed or bent.

' By forming this backing of a single strip of metal, there is left atthe back of the plate a narrow groove 27, which communicates with thebulbous portion of the. rib 0, so that when the backing plate isgold-soldered to the metallic tooth bridge or plate, this gold-solderwill flow into, and fill said groove 27, and also fill the void in thebulbous portion'of the rib or ridge 0 thus irremovably securing thebacking plate to the bridge. Should a. tooth facing be injured, and itsremoval and replacing with a new facing be required, the defectivefacing can be readily removed from the backing plate and a new onecemented thereto, without injuring the backing plate.

While I have heretofore described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, I desire it to be understood that details thereof may bechanged by persons skilled in the art to which my said inventionappertains, without departing from the scope thereof as defined in thesubjoined claims.

Having thus fully described this invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure to myself by Letters Patent of the United States v 1. A machinefor forming metallic tooth backings forartificial teeth, including, incombination, a base, a standard on said base, and a head on saidstandard, said parts be ing formed integral, an element at one end ofsaid head, said element being removably secured to said head, saidelement having a portion of one of its margins at right angles to theupper face of said element, and an inclined or undercut portionadjoining said right-angled portion, a second element on said head, saidsecond element being movably supported on said head, one marginal edgeof the latter element being formed to correspond to the marginal contourof the first-named element, means for reciprocating said movableelement, the parts being so proportioned that when said movable elementis in its forwardly projected position there remains a narrow slitbetween the two elements.

2. A machine for forming metallic tooth backings for artificial teeth,which tooth backing having a plane surface and a longitudinal, bulbous,tubular member projecting from said plane surface comprising said elements, as claimed in claim 1, whereby the bulbous portion of said toothbacking Will occupy the space formed by the inclined portions of saidelements and the neck of said bulbous element be formed by the upper, 5parallel portions of said elements.

8. A machine for forming metallic tooth backings for artificial teeth,as claimed in claim 2, and provided With a cam and lever mechanism foractuating said movable element. 1 J

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have hereuntoset my hand.

ELMER E. WIGHTMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

